Preview: 2008 Independent Film Festival of Boston
Posted on March 31, 2008 at 10:00 am | No Comments
After a long winter wait, that glorious time of the year is nearly upon us: the imminent arrival of the annual Independent Film Festival of Boston is upon us. Now in its 6th year, the 2008 edition of the IFFB is taking place from April 23rd through April 29th, packing 96 different films into 150 screenings (many including filmmaker Q&A sessions) in addition to panel discussions and parties throughout. While fest-long passes are already available, individual tickets for all films go on sale later this week, when the full list of showtimes is announced.
Special guests currently scheduled to attend screenings and events at this year’s fest include Sir Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Guy Maddin, Harmony Korine, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jay McCarroll, Chris Eigeman, Brad Neely, Damian Hess (aka MC Frontalot), and Harry & The Potters. Many more attendees should be added in the weeks to come.
Tickets to many of the screenings can be hard to come by as the big event gets closer, so heads up: Three different flavors of passes (Party Pass, Film Pass, and combined Chrome Pass) are already available right here, and as I mentioned, single tickets for every film will be available at IFFBoston.org within the next few days. By the way, prices for the passes go up once those regular tickets go on sale, so grab a pass now if you’re up for the full-on experience.
Every year, as the fest gets closer and the screening times are posted, I usually shine a spotlight on a film or two per day that I hope to check out. I’ll be doing that again in the next week or two, but first I’ve used the complete list of films to pull together a ton of accompanying links, including IMDB entries, official sites I could find, and any trailers if they’re out there. Hopefully this’ll make it easier for others to decide on the films they’re interested in, and which tickets to pick up early. Many are already high on my must-see list (and if you know me well enough, you can probably guess which ones they are)…
Narrative Features…
(click here for the official IFFB listings)
August Evening (official site / trailer)
directed by Chris Eska
starring Pedro Castaneda, Veronica Loren, and Abel Becerra
Ballast
directed by Lance Hammer
starring Micheal J. Smith Sr., Jim Myron Ross, Tarra Riggs, Johnny McPhail
The Beaver Trilogy (official site)
directed by Trent Harris
starring Groovin’ Gary, Sean Penn, Crispin Glover, Elizabeth Daily
Buried Treasure screening (2001)
Big Man Japan / Dai-Nipponjin (official Japanese site)
directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto
starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ua
Blood Car (official site / trailer)
directed by Alex Orr
starring Mike Brune, Anna Chlumsky, Katie Rowlett
The Cake Eaters
directed by Mary Stuart Masterson
starring Elizabeth Ashley, Talia Balsam, Jayce Bartok, Marylouise Burke, Thomas Cavanagh, Bruce Dern, Melissa Leo, Jesse L. Martin
Flash Point / Dao Huo Xian (official site / trailer)
directed by Wilson Yip
starring Donnie Yen, Louis Koo, Collin Chou, Lui Leung Wai
Frownland (official site)
directed by Ronnie Bronstein
starring Dore Mann, Paul Grimstad, David Sandholm, Carmine Marino
Goliath (official site / trailer)
directed by David & Nathan Zellner
starring David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Caroline O’Connor, Wiley Wiggins
Jetsam (official site / trailer)
directed by Simon Welsford
starring Alex Reid, Shauna Macdonald, Jamie Draven, Cal Macaninch, Adam Shaw
Medicine For Melancholy (official site / trailer)
directed by Barry Jenkins
starring Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, DeMorge Brown
Mister Lonely (official UK site / trailer)
directed by Harmony Korine
starring Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, Werner Herzog
Momma’s Man (official site)
directed by Azazel Jacobs
starring Matt Boren, Ken Jacobs, Richard Edson, Piero Arcilesi
Mongol: The Untold Story of Genghis Khan (official site / trailer)
directed by Sergei Bodrov
starring Tadanobu Asano, Aliya, Tegen Ao
My Effortless Brilliance (official site / trailer)
directed by Lynn Shelton
starring Sean Nelson (of Harvey Danger), Basil Harris, Calvin Reeder, Jeanette Maus
My Winnipeg
directed by Guy Maddin
starring Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Amy Stewart, Louis Negin
Natural Causes (official site / trailer)
directed by Alex Cannon, Paul Cannon, and Michael Lerman
starring Jerzy Gwiazdowski, Leah Goldstein, Shonda Leigh Robbins, Michael Tully
The New Year Parade (official site / trailer)
directed by Tom Quinn
starring Paul Blackway, Andrew Conway, Irene Longshore, Greg Lyons
Phoebe In Wonderland (clip)
directed by Daniel Barnz
starring Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Elle Fanning, Peter Gerety, Bill Pullman, Campbell Scott
Ping Pong Playa (official site)
directed by Jessica Yu
starring Jimmy Tsai, Roger Fan, Shelley Malil
Pink / Roz (official Greek site)
directed by Alexander Voulgaris
starring Alexander Voulgaris, Argiris Thanasoulas, Romanna Lobats
Savage Grace (trailer)
directed by Tom Kalin
starring Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Hugh Dancy, Eddie Redmayne
Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery Of America (official site / trailer)
directed by Tony Stone
starring Tony Stone, Fiore Tedesco, Nathan Corbin
Stuck (trailer)
directed by Stuart Gordon
starring Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard
Time Crimes / Los Cronocrimenes (official site / trailer 1 / trailer 2)
directed by Nacho Vigalondo
starring Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernandez, Barbara Goenaga, Juan Inciarte, Nacho Vigalondo
The Tracey Fragments (official site / trailer)
directed by Bruce McDonald
starring Ellen Page, Ari Cohen, Max McCabe-Lokos, Erin McMurtry, Slimtwig
musical score by Broken Social Scene
Transsiberian (trailer / spanish trailer)
directed by Brad Anderson
starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega
Opening Night Film, on Wednesday, April 23rd at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. Director Brad Anderson has a long relationship with Boston, and filmed both “Next Stop Wonderland” and “Session 9” here. He’ll be at the opening night screening along with co-writer Will Conroy and some of the cast.
Triangle / Tie Saam Gok (official site / trailer)
directed in three parts by Ringo Lam, Johnnie To, and Tsui Hark
starring Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Honglei Sun, Ka Tung Lam, Kelly Lin
Turn The River (official site / trailer)
directed by Chris Eigeman
starring Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross, Lois Smith, Marin Hinkle, Terry Kinney
Twelve
12 Boston-area directors collaborated on this one film, each taking the lead for one of twelve segments, with the other eleven acting as their crew.
directed by Scott Masterson, Seanbaker Carter, Andy McCarthy, Garth Donovan, Luke Poling, Noah Lydiard, Megan Summers, Brynmore Williams, Joan Meister, Marc Colucci, Jared Goodman, and Vladmir Minuty
World Premiere
Vexille (official US site / subtitled trailer / 10 minute preview)
directed by Fumihiko Sori
featuring the voices of Meisa Kuroki, Shosuke Tanihara, Yasuko Matsuyuki
Woodpecker (official site / trailer soon)
directed by Alex Karpovsky
starring Jon Hyrns, Ken Parham, Wesley Yang
Documentaries…
(click here for the official IFFB listings)
American Teen (poster)
directed by Nanette Burnstein
subject: High school seniors in a small Indiana town.
At The Death House Door (official site)
directed by Steve James and Peter Gilbert
subject: An investigation of the wrongful death of Carlos DeLuna, who was executed in Texas on December 7, 1989.
Crawford (official site / trailer)
directed by David Modigliani
subject: The impact on the 705 residents of Crawford, Texas since George W. Bush moved to town.
Dreams With Sharp Teeth (official site / trailer)
directed by Erik Nelson
subject: Sci-fi scribe Harlan Ellison
featuring Neil Gaiman, Peter David, Ronald D. Moore, Josh Olson, Tom Snyder, Robin Williams
Eleven Minutes (official site / trailer)
directed by Michael Selditch
subject: Fashion designer Jay McCarroll.
Encounters At The End Of The World (official site)
directed by Werner Herzog
subject: The landscape and inhabitants of Antarctica.
Closing Night Film on Tuesday April 29th at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Frontrunner (official site / trailer)
directed by Virginia Williams
subject: Dr. Massouda Jalal’s campaign to become the President of Afghanistan, the only woman in a field of 17 candidates.
The Greening Of Southie (official site)
directed by Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis
subject: Boston first residential “green” building and those who made it happen.
Intimidad (official site / trailer)
directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin
subject: The impact of relocation and reunion on a young couple and their daughter.
Joy Division (official UK site / trailer)
directed by Grant Gee
subject: Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris.
Jump! (official site / trailer)
directed by Helen Hood Scheer
subject: The journey of several kids from local competitions to the world championships of jump roping.
Life. Support. Music. (official site / trailer)
directed by Eric Metzgar
subject: The hope-filled story of Jason Crigler, an NYC guitarist who suffered an on-stage brain hemorrhage in 2004.
The Linguists (official site / trailer)
directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger
subject: Two linguists and their attempt to document languages on the brink of extinction.
Lioness (official site)
directed Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers
subject: The first women in U.S. history to be sent into direct ground combat.
Meadowlark
directed by Taylor Greeson
subject: The director’s own struggles with faith and sexuality, and in dealing with the violent murder of his own brother.
World Premiere
Nerdcore Rising (official site / trailer)
directed by Negin Farsad and Kim Gatewood
subject: Nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot and his first national tour
featuring: Brian Posehn, Weird Al Yankovic, Jello Biafra, Prince Paul, J-Live
Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie (official site / trailer)
directed by Jay Delaney
subject: The experiences of two amateur Bigfoot researchers in Appalachian Ohio.
Public Enemy: Welcome To The Terrordome (official site / trailer)
directed by Robert Patton-Spruill
subject: A look at the first 20-years of Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
featuring: The Beastie Boys, Talib Kweli, Tom Morello, Henry Rollins, Jonathan Davis.
Saviours (MySpace / intro)
directed by Ross Whitaker and Liam Nolan
subject: Set in Ireland, the interwoven stories of three young boxers over an 18-month period of their lives, both inside the ring and out.
Second Skin (official site / trailer / boing boing feature)
directed by Juan Carlos Pineiro-Escoriaza
subject: Virtual worlds (MMORPGS including World of Warcraft & Everquest) and their effect on the gamers who inhabit them.
Secrecy (official site / trailer)
directed by Robb Moss and Peter Galison
subject: The growing wall of secrecy that surrounds the U.S. government.
Sex Positive (official site / trailer)
directed by Daryl Wein
subject: Richard Berkowitz, a 1980s sex worker turned AIDS activist, who contributed to the invention of safe sex.
Song Sung Blue (official site / trailer)
directed by Greg Kohs
subject: The tragic love story of Milwaukee’s “Lightning & Thunder”, a husband and wife singing duo and Neil Diamond tribute band.
Very Young Girls
directed by David Schisgall
subject: The lives of underage girls in the world of prostitution.
We Are Wizards (official site / MySpace / trailer)
directed by Josh Koury
subject: The growing phenomenon of Rowling-inspired “Wizard Rock”, including Boston’s own Harry & the Potters.
Wild Blue Yonder (trailer)
directed by Celia Maysles
subject: A portrait of the late documentarian David Maysles by his daughter, Celia.
Short Films…
(click here for the official IFFB listings, including descriptions)
“Apocalypse Oz” – directed by Ewan Telford
“Aquarium” – directed by Rob Meyer
“A Catalog Of My Anticipations” – directed by David Lowery
“Chief” – directed by Brett Wagner
“Doxology” – directed by Michael Langan
“The Drift” – directed by Kelly Sears
“The European Kid” – directed by Ian Martin
“The Execution Of Solomon Harris” – directed by Wyatt Garfield and Ed Yonaitis
“Film Makes Us Happy” – directed by Bryan Wizemann
“Glory At Sea” – directed by Ben Zeitlin
“Heartbeats” – directed by Vincent Coen
“If A Body Meet A Body” – directed by Brian Davis
“I Have Seen The Future” – directed by Cam Christiansen
“I Love Sarah Jane” – directed by Spencer Susser
“Jackson Ward” – directed by Matt Petock
“Kids + Money” – directed by Lauren Greenfield
“La Corona” – directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
“Larry (The Actor)” – directed by Brett Portanova and Eric Poydar
“The Lonely Bliss Of Cannonball Luke” – directed by Levi Abrino
“Man” – directed by Myna Joseph
“Maybe In The Springtime” – directed by Mai Sato
“Mr. P” – directed by Jake Vaughan
“Pepper” – directed by Harry McCoy
“Primitive Technology” – directed by Bo Price
“The Pull” – directed by Andy Blubaugh
“The Rambler” – directed by Calvin Reeder
“Reorder” – directed by Sean Garrity
“Safari” – directed by Catherine Chalmers
“Sangit Senyor” – directed by Alan Lyddiard
“Save The World” – directed by David Casals-Roma
“Sikumi (On The Ice)” – directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
“Spider” – directed by Nash Edgerton
“34x24x36” – directed by Jesse Epstein
“Tony Zoreil” – directed by Valentin Potier
“Well-Founded Concerns” – directed by Tim Cawley
“Woman In Burka” – directed by Jonathan Lisecki
Panel Discussions…
(click here for the official IFFB listings)
Collaborative Screenwriting
“A discussion with screenwriters and other industry professionals on the benefits of collaboration.” Featuring Amy Fox (Heights) and Will Conroy (Transsiberian). Presented by Zhura.com
Distribution 2.0
“A discussion with some of the companies on the cutting edge of film distribution.”
Featuring representatives of Spout.com, Current.com, Indiepix, and Ourstage. Moderated by Amy Dotson of the Independent Feature Project (IFP).
Comics to Film / Film to Comics
A presentation by Greg Pak, the writer/director of previous IFFB film “Robot Stories”, and writer of the X-Men and World War Hulk comics.
Breaking Into The Boston Film Industry
“With some of top working professionals in the Boston area including IATSE Local 481 Business Manager Chris O’Donnell.”
IFFB 2008 Participating Theater Locations…
The Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Somerville
The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline
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